Projects

Gumboots Seedbank

In an area where up to 80% of the population is unemployed, HIV/Aids is rife and a significant number of children go to bed hungry at night, the Gumboots Foundation’s “Seedbank” was started to provide vegetable seeds to create vegetable gardens to feed the children at the Kazimula children’s shelter, local schools and the students at Zakhe Agricultural college.

The Gumboots Seedbank has worked in partnership with Zahke Agricultural college near Richmond in KwaZulu-Natal since 2009. Zakhe teaches young people in KwaZulu-Natal how to grow their own vegetables and how to sustain a viable food source. Today the Gumboots “Seedbank” is fully administered by the Agricultural college.

At the UK Sterling equivalent of approx £3.7 for 100grams of seeds, vegetable gardens were being planted by school children all over KZN with spinach, carrots, cabbage, lettuce, squash, pumpkin, green beans, beetroot, tomatoes, and peas to name a few!

From 2011 a new strategy is being implemented to develop the Gumboots Seedbank into a sustainable project. Zakhe agricultural college is working to leverage the resources and network it has under the food security programme of the Department of Agriculture. The majority of the members from these projects have been involved in community gardens which have had many challenges that have led to some of these projects failing. From 2011, each member of the community garden will be given seed packs to use in starting his or her own garden to produce vegetables at home and the surplus to be sold to recover the money for the seeds to be used in the coming seasons. By recovering seed costs the Seedbank will afford to buy more seeds for new members to start their home gardens for food security. The total amount (£46 per packet) with an interest of 10% is to be paid back within two seasons of production. To ensure that the pay back takes place a group of 5 members are to be formed and will be accountable for the seeds given to the group. This is an exciting new initative and is taking the Seedbank in a new direction which aims to have the greatest impact on the local Richmond community.